My Jaw Clicks and My Teeth Hurt When I Wake Up - What's Wrong? product guide
You wake up and your jaw feels tight. There's a dull ache behind your back teeth. When you open wide, there's a click or a pop in your jaw joint. By mid-afternoon, you have a headache that starts at y...
You wake up and your jaw feels tight. There's a dull ache behind your back teeth. When you open wide, there's a click or a pop in your jaw joint. By mid-afternoon, you have a headache that starts at your temples and works backward. Your partner mentions that you grind your teeth at night.
You've mentioned it to a dentist. You've been told to relax more, maybe try a night guard. The night guard helped a little. The problem didn't go away.
You're not imagining it. And it probably isn't going to resolve on its own.
What's actually happening
The symptoms you're describing are consistent with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) and/or bruxism - a complex intersection of jaw joint issues, muscle dysfunction, occlusal (bite) problems, and often sleep-disordered breathing.
TMD affects a significant proportion of the adult population. It is one of the most underdiagnosed and undertreated conditions in dentistry, partly because it sits at the intersection of multiple disciplines - dentistry, physiotherapy, sleep medicine, and neuromuscular science - and very few practices have all of those disciplines available in one place.
Most patients with TMD see a string of practitioners before getting a clear picture of what's happening and a treatment plan that addresses the actual cause rather than the symptoms. A night guard can protect your teeth from grinding damage. It doesn't address why you're grinding.
What most people don't know about bruxism
Here is something that surprises most TMD patients: the majority of people who grind their teeth have underworked jaw muscles, not overworked ones.
This matters enormously for treatment decisions.
Botox injections into the masseter muscles (the large muscles on the sides of the jaw responsible for chewing) are widely advertised as a treatment for bruxism. The premise is that the muscles are overworked and the Botox relaxes them.
For some patients, this is appropriate. But for the majority of bruxism patients - particularly those whose muscles are actually underworked and in a protective spasm rather than chronically overloaded - Botox is counterproductive. It weakens already-compromised muscles and can worsen the underlying pattern.
The only way to know which category you're in is to measure the muscle activity directly. Smile Solutions uses Myowise surface EMG (electromyography) to measure the electrical activity in your jaw muscles at rest and during function. This data, combined with bite force measurement and digital occlusal analysis, gives a precise picture of what your muscles are actually doing.
If the EMG confirms muscle hyperactivity consistent with overworked muscles, Botox may be part of the treatment plan. If it shows underworked or dysregulated muscles - as it does in most cases - the treatment involves targeted exercise and neuromuscular rehabilitation, not injection.
No other dental practice in Melbourne has this diagnostic capability as part of a dedicated TMD clinic.
The Smile Solutions TMD Clinic
Smile Solutions has Melbourne's only dedicated multidisciplinary TMD clinic. The team includes:
A specialist prosthodontist who manages the dental and occlusal aspects of TMD - bite adjustment, splint therapy, restorative work that supports optimal jaw function.
A specialist orthodontist who considers tooth position and skeletal relationships that may be contributing to the dysfunction.
Osteopath Rachel Smith, who addresses the musculoskeletal component of TMD - the relationship between jaw function, cervical spine alignment, and whole-body posture. This dimension of TMD is frequently ignored in dental-only approaches and is often the missing piece.
A myofunctional therapist who works on the muscle patterns involved in swallowing, breathing, and jaw position. Tongue posture, swallowing pattern, and airway management have direct relationships to jaw clenching and grinding that most practitioners never assess.
A sleep physician who evaluates the relationship between TMD and sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep apnoea and upper airway resistance syndrome are significantly associated with bruxism - the grinding is often the airway's attempt to re-open during sleep. Treating the dental symptoms without addressing the airway leaves the fundamental driver unresolved.
The diagnostic process
Your first appointment involves a comprehensive clinical assessment of your jaw joints, muscles, bite, teeth, and airway. You will receive:
Myowise EMG measurement of masseter and temporalis muscle activity.
Digital bite force analysis to identify where and how hard you are biting.
T-Scan occlusal analysis to map your bite contacts in sequence and identify premature contacts or interferences.
A referral to Collins Street Imaging (Level 9 of our building) for cone beam CT imaging of the jaw joints if indicated.
Sleep screening questionnaire and, where appropriate, referral to the sleep physician for a formal sleep study.
This is not a consultation that ends with "here's a night guard." It is a genuine investigation of a complex condition by a team that specialises in it.
Treatment options
Depending on your specific findings, treatment may include one or several of:
Neuromuscular exercise programme prescribed by the osteopath and myofunctional therapist.
Occlusal splint (night guard) specifically calibrated using the digital bite data - not a generic device.
Mandibular advancement splint if sleep-disordered breathing is contributing to the bruxism.
Orthodontic treatment if tooth position is contributing to the bite imbalance.
Restorative work if significant tooth wear requires rebuilding lost tooth structure.
Masseter Botox, but only after EMG confirms muscle hyperactivity that warrants it.
You don't have to keep waking up in pain
If you've been dealing with jaw pain, clicking, morning headaches, or tooth wear and haven't found a satisfactory answer yet, Smile Solutions' TMD clinic is a different kind of appointment.
Call 13 13 96 or book online. 220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD. No referral required. A complimentary initial consultation is available to discuss your symptoms and determine whether a full TMD assessment is appropriate.
The clicking jaw and the aching teeth have an explanation. And more importantly, they have a treatment.